Dancing Around the Moment
by dragonfly42pf
Summary: Paige has been spending time away from Scorpion. What has she been doing? What will Walter's reaction be when she tells him? Waige attraction!
1. Chapter 1

_This is my take on a Karen Cartwright (Smash) merges with Paige Dineen! I know I'm not alone in missing her singing and dancing! I thought it might be interesting to see how Walter would process that side of Paige. Let me know what you think. Like all the other ffn Scorpion fans, I own nothing!_

It was two hours after she had told him she'd be back to pick up Ralph. Paige didn't even have the forethought to create a plausible back-story as she frantically yanked open the garage door.

"I'm so late! I'm so sorry! Walter?!"

Greeted with silence, she slowly slid the door back into place. Treading lightly in her foot sandals, she crept further into Scorpion's lair, and spotted her son, sleeping peacefully on the couch near the entrance, covered with a soft blanket. She silently thanked the universe for gifting her child with the power to sleep like the dead, and crept over to him, softly pushing his hair off his forehead as he slept. She chided herself for not realizing he was desperately in need of a haircut, and made a mental note to add that to her list of things to do the next day.

Hearing tinkering from the inside of the rocket, the addition that had made itself a part of the furniture in the garage, she turned and walked over to what could only be her boss, fiddling with his latest obsession. She smiled to herself, tardiness momentarily forgotten, as she saw his shirttails hanging out from the waistline of his pants and watching the intense stare he was giving to the innards of the rocket. He was so absorbed in what he was doing, that he hadn't noticed her entrance, and she hesitated to disturb him from his mechanical reverie. Delicately, she reached up and placed her hand on the small of his back.

Walter jerked his head around in clear surprise, and was rewarded with a smack on the head from the steel opening. He winced, put his hand to his head, and finally made eye contact. "Paige," was his only response before closing his eyes and cringing again from his untimely encounter with the hard surface.

"Walter, are you ok?!" Paige jolted her hand off of his back and cursed herself for not being more sensitive in her approach to the project that often made him tune out the rest of the world. She gently grabbed his elbow instead and guided him slowly down the stepladder, as he rubbed his hand on his head. Once he was firmly on the ground, she instinctively ran her other hand through his curls to assess the damage.

"I feel a little bump, but I don't think you cut your head open," she whispered, in part because her son was sleeping a few yards away and in part because she was standing awfully close to him now. God, he smelled good. She allowed her fingers to linger in his curls a bit longer and blushed, realizing this was a recurring moment in many of her fantasies about him. She dropped her hands to her sides and took a slight step back.

As the initial pain in Walter's skull died down, he took a moment to fully absorb the woman standing in front of him. Paige had one of her babysitters back out at the last minute, and hadn't been able to find a replacement. She was shy about asking him to watch over Ralph until nine o'clock, and Walter felt, had been deliberately vague about why she needed to go out. He spent a portion of his evening concocting scenarios about what she might be doing; studying for the night and online classes she'd been so secretive of, going to a parent conference… Was she part of a book club? Or was she perhaps meeting someone for drinks? Dinner? He hated the fact that when it came down to it, he knew very little about her personal life. None of the scenes he had created in his mind however, could explain the sight in front of him. Paige was wearing black, calf length yoga pants with a low, draw string waistline. Her feet were bare, no, were they? What was on her feet? He pondered this for the briefest of moments before his eyes drew back up to her torso. She was only clad in a sports bra with very thin straps. Her entire midriff was exposed. He'd never seen so much of her bare skin, and his eyes lingered on her lean abdomen and soft breasts a bit longer than a boss should be staring at his employee, or even a friend should be regarding another friend. His cheeks burned. He felt his ears redden, and when he finally looked at her face, he saw she was blushing too.

"Walter, are-are you ok? I'm sorry I startled you, and I'm so s-sorry I'm so late. When I realized the time, I dropped everything and raced right over here," Paige stammered in a small voice, more than slightly heated from his intense gaze.

Walter shook his head faintly for his own clarity. "I'm fine. You don't need to apologize. I enjoy spending time with Ralph. We ordered pizza and worked on the rocket until he couldn't stop yawning." Walter grinned. "I walked him over to the couch and sat with him until he fell asleep. I only started working again a few minutes ago. Wait - what time is it," he asked?

"About 11:30," Paige replied. "I know how valuable your time is. I didn't mean to take advantage of your kindness."

"You weren't. I didn't feel obligated, Paige - I was and always am, happy to help. You're a single mom, and you deserve to have some fun, or time to yourself, or go to the gym, or whatever it was you were doing tonight - "

"-I was at rehearsal," she interrupted in a rush. She sighed and started to walk away, toward the kitchen to get a bottle of water. She knew how her Scorpion teammates felt about the arts, and had kept her rehearsals a secret from them merely to avoid a lecture on how they (therefore meaning _she_ ) contributed nothing to society. She had several well-rehearsed defenses on the endless list of contributions art and music made to the world, but most of them were founded on EQ. Knowing this would result in frustration on her end, she just decided to keep quiet instead.

 _Rehearsal?_ Walter processed her statement as she walked away, but as his eyes were once again unwillingly drawn to her nearly bare back, he noticed the bruising on lower back and sides. Despite his constant hesitancy to touch other people, he couldn't help stepping toward her and grabbing her shoulder. "Paige! Your back! Rehearsal? For what? What happened to you tonight?"

Paige stopped, startled, as he kept a gentle but firm grip on her shoulder, and craned her neck to try assessing the skin on her back, without success. She reached her hand around to her lower back, and grimaced slightly as she discovered she had scraped her skin. "Oh, it's um nothing," she lightly fibbed, gazing toward the floor. She likely had more marks like this on her hips and thighs too.

Walter went into protective mode. Now placing his hand on both of her shoulders, he turned her around and waited until she met his eyes. Oh those smoldering eyes…what they did to her, even now as his stare was very serious. She squirmed a bit, and launched into a defeated explanation.

"Well, before Ralph was born, I think you know I liked to perform. I even tried to make a career out of singing, but it's tough out there, and when I got pregnant, I realized that I needed to put my hobbies, and my dreams aside and concentrate on my son." She was looking all around the room as she spoke, anywhere to avoid those brown eyes, but she peeked up quietly, but proudly as she stated that Ralph was her priority. "I would do it again in a heartbeat. I have no regrets. After all," she half smiled, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for the paths I have chosen and for Ralph in my life."

She took a deep breath in, the weight of the evening catching up with her. "Do you mind if I grab a bottle of water and sit down before I continue? I've been on my feet all day."

"Of course," Walter replied, lowering his arms from her shoulders. "Why don't you go up to the loft? I'll bring you water and there's a first aid kit up there. And that way, we won't disturb Ralph."

Paige giggled. Oh, did Walter love the sound of her laugh. "I think you could ignite that rocket and it wouldn't wake him," she continued, "but if you're offering me to put my feet up while you bring me a drink, that sounds lovely."

She shyly smiled at him as he replied, "Sure. I'll be up in a moment," and then she turned and glided up to the loft.


	2. Chapter 2

_This is my take on a Karen Cartwright (Smash) merges with Paige Dineen! I know I'm not alone in missing her singing and dancing! I thought it might be interesting to see how Walter would process that side of Paige. Let me know what you think. Like other ffn Scorpion fans, I own nothing!_

When Walter surfaced into the loft, Paige was seated on the couch, her feet tucked delicately beneath her. A lone lamp behind her illuminated the room, enveloping her in a warm halo of light. She looked relaxed, almost peaceful, but was clearly deep in thought. Her beauty humbled him. Her hair was pulled back in a sloppy bun, she'd been working a full day, then rehearsing, whatever that still meant, but here she was, perfect as ever, just waiting for him on the sofa in his loft. He pushed the thoughts of her curling up in his bed out of his mind before forcing his practiced smile onto his face and bringing her a bottle of water.

She smiled at his approached, thanked him and twisted the cap off the water bottle. She took a few sips and cautiously said, "Will you sit down next to me?"

Walter obliged, making sure he was keeping a professional distance away from her. She was revealing a secret, so Toby would advise she'd need personal space. Plus, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her exposed, perfect skin...he already knew he'd have a hard time falling asleep tonight with all of his thoughts on Paige Dineen, not that this would be a new experience.

"So you were saying?" he started after an extended pause.

Paige sighed and looked at her water bottle, fidgeting with the cap. "So, there was a theater company that was sort of home to me when I was younger. It was the same sort of dysfunctional family that Scorpion is, but well, they were theater people, so it was very different. And they've since more or less closed and keep trying to reopen full time. And the original managers, well, owners, are still trying to keep the place alive, at least for a season or two here and there, and they've reached out now and again, but I always said no, but when they called me a month ago and asked me to be a part of their most recent fundraiser, I just couldn't say no anymore." It came out in one almost nonsensical ramble, and she smiled sweetly as she reminisced about "Rita and Carlo" and the kindness they showed her when she was "just a kid."

"So, the performance is in a few weeks, and at first I just agreed to help where I could, but seeing some former cast mates turned into more of a reunion and more quite frankly, enticing, than I'd anticipated. I thought, 'Why not sing? Why not dance? Why not play-'"

Walter who had been listening attentively, interrupted her, "Y-you dance?"

Paige raised an eyebrow at him. "You don't have to act so surprised. I mean, I was 12 years younger and probably 15 pounds lighter, bu-"

"No!" He interjected. "I just didn't know that about you! With the grace with which you move around here, that doesn't surprise me at all, I just didn't know you had a dance background." His eyes were wide and innocent, even if he was sounding s bit defensive.

Her heart melted just a little bit more for him. Her? Graceful? Did he remember her collapsing on top of him in the warehouse as the motion sensors machine guns were firing? She continued. "I'm sorry, Walter. I'm just feeling out of shape and well, old next to the rest of the theater company who have kept up their chops all these years."

"Anyway, so I'm part of a few numbers for this fundraiser performance and one of them involves a harness, that may sound weird," she added quickly, "but it's for some aerial moves in a dance number we're doing, but it has to be able to move on a single pivot, and it's just not working right, so hence," she leaned forward and gingerly touched her back, "what I thought was just a little sting, might be a little more than that." "But I'm sure it's no big deal," she hastily added.

Walter had been trying to follow and process all the new information she had given him, and wasn't used to feeling like he wasn't able to keep up. It occurred to him for the second time that evening how very little he knew about Paige's personal life. He hated that she'd been keeping _anything_ from him, but this seemed like chapter upon chapter of her life that she didn't trust him to know about. It hurt. He knew it shouldn't. There was plenty about his past that he hadn't shared with her, and he suddenly realized he wanted that connection with her. He wanted to know her childhood stories, her dreams, her fears, and he wanted to share his stories with her as well. Why? What was she doing to him? Why should he want to know every detail about her? Why did he want her to know everything about him?

"Walter?" She was looking at him expectedly.

He realized he'd been silent for over a minute and tried to recover with a safe response. "Y-your well being is always a big deal. If you don't treat the abrasions properly, they could become infected."

Paige smiled wistfully and shook her head. She had just revealed 5 minutes of personal history and ended with 10 seconds of her medical status and _that's_ what he chose to comment on. "You're right of course," she said, slowly standing up. I should grab Ralph and get us home. I can get cleaned up there." She was standing in front of him now, looking down at his face. "Thanks again for watching him, Walter. And thanks for listening too. I know what I'm doing probably sounds like a waste of time to you and I promise it won't interfere with my work here going forward. The show's in two weeks, and then everything will be back to normal." She cocked her head. "Ok?"

Walter stood, briefly recalling a conversation he'd had with Cabe after finding out she'd been taking night classes. "It's tough to compete with you guys," was his way of explaining her covertness.

"This is different," Walter blurted out and exasperated, ran his hand through his curly hair. _"Why am I always an inarticulate buffoon when I am speaking to her?!"_ he thought. "I mean," Walter sighed and rubbed his eyes. "I wish you would have told me what you are doing with your free time. It's clearly something you're passionate about and if it's important to you, it's important to us. How many times have you attended a comic book convention with Sylvester and Ralph, or gone to the museum of sciences with Ralph and me, or even just waited around until we finished a logarithm, or working on a project? Are those things important to you?"

Paige blinked, not believing what she was hearing. "Walter, Ralph is my son – he is my number one passion in life. Anything that makes him happy, makes me happy. Do I always understand the…the allure, the science, hell, even half of what you talk about? No! But I'm trying to connect with him and to support him, and all of you, and I'm there for all of those things because I care about him. And you. A-all of you." She finished in almost a whisper, realizing she had just proven the point he had not quite been able to articulate.

Walter's deer-in-headlights look turned into one that was only slightly shocked with a slight smirk. "And so based on my hypothesis that you share those things with the team because you care about us, would you care to tell me what my deduction is?" He crossed his arms and his eyes twinkled a bit. He looked so smug that she wanted to shove him. Or kiss him. She settled for rolling her eyes and caressing his elbow with her thumb. "Your deduction is that I should share the things that make me happy with you guys too."

Walter cleared his throat, "And my reasoning behind that deduction…" Walter prompted.

"Because you care about me too?" She peeked up at him. He'd said it before, but she wanted to hear it again.

Walter's smug expression vanished. His mouth went dry and his heartbeat pounded in his ears. He had expected her to give a, "because we're a cyclone, and scorpions look out for each other," kind of response, and maybe that's what she meant…but the way she was shyly looking up at him right now with those big brown eyes, tracing small figure eights on his elbow with her thumb, made him wonder. A terse, "Yes," was all he could manage for a moment.

Paige smiled and took a step toward him. He stood very still and was barely breathing now. She stood up on her tiptoes and softly placed her lips on his cheek and remained there for three seconds. The kiss alone would have turned his cheeks bright red, but the fact that her breasts every so lightly brushed up against his arm didn't go unnoticed by him either. In three short seconds, his body was experiencing sensations that were beyond his well-rehearsed scientific defenses. This wasn't about a chemical or anatomical reaction, there was an energy between them and a comfort her presence yielded that wasn't easy, if even possible to rationalize away. Everything about her was soft and warm, her hair, her skin, her lips, her breasts….and she pulled away. He missed her immediately.

"Well, like I said, I should be going, but thank you, Walter – for everything."

As she turned to leave, Walter quickly formulated a plan and on impulse, reached out for her for the second time that night. "Wait," he said.

She paused, but didn't turn around. She had surprised herself by working up the courage to kiss him on the cheek, and was still reeling from the effects of their proximity as well.

Walter gulped and dug deep down inside for a little courage. He touched her back next to where the skin had been irritated. His touch was so light, Paige wasn't sure if she'd imagined it, but Walter was getting on his knees behind her to better examine it. He placed his other hand more firmly on her hip to balance him, and lightly ran his fingers from her lower back, upward next to her spine. Paige swallowed hard and closed her eyes. Goosebumps, electricity, spine tingling, didn't cover what she was feeling. She practically convulsed at his touch.

"You're right. It's not serious," Walter continued in a slightly gruff and official sounding tone, making Paige wonder once again if these feelings she was having were completely one-sided. "But," he continued, "It's going to be difficult for you to clean this yourself at home since it's close to the middle of your back. Ralph could help, but you'd have to wake him, so me cleaning and dressing this for you is the most practical option you have."

More physical contact from Walter O'Brien? Paige didn't have to think twice about it. _"Yes please!"_ her inner voice shouted, but in reality, she turned just enough to look down at his face and said, "Well, if you're sure it's not too much trouble."


	3. Chapter 3

_This is my take on a Karen Cartwright (Smash) merges with Paige Dineen! I know I'm not alone in missing her singing and dancing! I thought it might be interesting to see how Walter would process that side of Paige. Let me know what you think. Like all the other ffn Scorpion fans, I own nothing!_

Walter smiled. "No trouble at all." "Why don't you come into the bathroom? There's better light." He turned and walked the few steps to the small, white bathroom, and turned on the lights as Paige followed. She looked around, the bathroom was neat, clean, and minimalist, just like Walter's loft space. He pulled aside the colorless curtain on the shower rod. "Why don't you have a seat on the corner of the tub? That's the best light and closest to the sink. Paige obliged, sitting facing away from him so he could have access to her back, and suddenly felt nervous, though she wasn't sure why. Walter sifted through some drawers and the medicine cabinet before setting his supplies on the countertop. When he stopped fussing with everything and became still, Paige tensed again, anticipating his touch.

"Ok," Walter said as he knelt down again beside her. She turned her head and watched him as his brown eyes examined the bare skin on her back. She blushed as she imagined that intense stare on other parts of her body.

Walter stood again, grabbing a towel and handing it to her. "If you can just hold this in place, just above the um, waistline of the back of your pants, I'm going to start by just washing the abrasion first. The towel will keep water from running down…um, will k-keep you dry."

He went over to the sink and dampened a washcloth with warm water. Hell, why was he so nervous? He reminded himself that this was nothing more than very basic first aid for a colleague. A very beautiful colleague. He knelt again and Paige held the towel in place as instructed. He gently dabbed the center of her back and she felt the water begin trickling down her spine. She sighed. Walter stopped what he was doing. "I'm sorry, am I hurting you?" he asked.

"No, Walter. You're not hurting me. It actually feels kind of nice to be honest," she murmured.

Walter didn't know what to say in response so he simply continued the dabbing motion from the middle, toward her obliques, and down toward the top of her right buttock, stopping only when he came in contact with the towel. He paused to wring out the cloth in the tub next to her. "Um…if you can just lower the towel a bit, and if it's ok, I'm going to just roll your waistband down a little to get the rest of the scraped skin clean. Um…if that's not ok, I – I understand, I just –"

"No, it's f-fine w-with me," Paige stammered, but her whole body felt flushed at this point. She moved the towel as requested and tried to look over her shoulder as he lowered the right side of her yoga pants, just enough to not expose too much of herself to him.

Walter was breathing so rapidly at this point that he was becoming lightheaded. He couldn't believe that he was touching Paige Dineen. This beautiful creature, was allowing him to place his hands on her backside. He chastised himself for allowing his mind to picture her completely naked right now. She was a friend. This is a medical procedure. There was nothing about this that should lead to any inappropriate thoughts, but he felt like he was losing control.

And part of him liked that.

He finished dabbing the wound on the top of her backside, dried the whole area with the towel, and regretfully straightened to an upright position. "Ok, now I'll just apply a little hypoallergenic spray and dress it for you and you'll be fine," he stated curtly.

As he applied the spray, Paige thought it stung very little, making her wonder how much the "abrasion" really needed to be addressed. She enjoyed lowering her pants just a "little bit more" for him as he placed gauze and medical tape over it, and was more than a little sad, when he declared that he was finished.

She grabbed his upper arms for support as she stepped out of the tub, and had difficulty looking him in the eyes when she said, "Well, thank you again, Walter."

Walter started to say, "it was my pleasure," because, for certain, it was, but thought better of it, and simply said, "You're welcome."

As Paige made her way down from the loft to gather her son and his belongings, Walter followed and said, "Oh, and Paige?"

"Yes, Walter?" She looked at him imploringly, hoping the next words out of his mouth were, "Stay with me tonight?" But instead, the genius ran his hand through his hair again and said, "Maybe have Happy come to rehearsal with you next time you go? She could probably fix whatever problems they're having with your harness in a few minutes."

Paige nodded. "Thanks, I'll do that. Goodnight, Walter." And without another word, she scooped up her son and made her way to the sliding door.

 _Well? Not sure where to go now…..I would like to fast forward to the performance, but am intimidated by incorporating more characters and focusing on their reactions, and at the same time, trying to describe what's going on in the theater….seems like a lot to balance and may take some time to construct. Thanks for all of the (hopefully continued) positive feedback!_


	4. Chapter 4

_This is my take on a Karen Cartwright (Smash) merges with Paige Dineen! I know I'm not alone in missing Katharine McPhee's singing and dancing! And I just read she may be singing in season 2! I thought it might be interesting to see how Walter would process that side of Paige. Let me know what you think. Disclaimer: I own zip._

-Chapter 4-

"Remind me why we had to get dressed up for this again? No, wait, remind me why we're going in the first place?" Happy grumbled. She refused to wear a skirt. Black boots, shiny black leggings and a fitted jersey tunic were as glamorous as she was willing to go, even if Paige was growing on her.

"We're going because Walter has the hots for Paige. And we're getting dressed up because Walt wants to look extra pretty tonight, because he has the hots for Paige." Toby explained as he sashayed over to Happy's work bench. "And speaking of hot," he said as he unabashedly looked her up and down, "you clean up awfully nice, Happy Quinn."

"You're a pig," she replied and slugged him in the chest. "Hey Sly, you ready?"

Sylvester was at his desk straightening his bow tie, using his computer's camera as a mirror. "Yes. And we should leave soon. It should only take us 17 minutes to drive to the theater, but parking will be difficult to predict as we don't know the audience member to car ratio, and we don't want to be late, though it is typical for a theater to hold the curtain a customary 5 minutes after a scheduled performance time to account for late comers, thus perpetuating the social norm that tardiness is acceptable."

"Yep, those theater people are solely responsible for the decline of society," Toby said solemnly as he slapped his hand on Sylvester's shoulder. "Cabe and sons should be back shortly, and then we'll be on our way pal."

As if on cue, the door to the garage slid open and an enormous bouquet of flowers walked in, presumably being carried by Ralph, though the top half of his body was completely obscured by the blooms. He was followed by a nervous looking Walter and an amused Cabe.

Happy crossed her arms and chuckled, "Hey Ralphie boy, is that you?"

With great effort, Ralph managed to peek out from behind the arrangement. "They're for my mom," he simply stated.

Cabe chimed in, "These two geniuses couldn't decide on what kind of flowers to get her, so they decided the most logical thing to do was to get one of every kind of flower the shop sold." He shook his head and smiled. "Those flowers cost more than a ticket to this shindig!"

Walter was pretending to fix his shirt cuff as he listened. He was nervous and agitated. He had been proud of himself for thinking of the flowers in the first place, and Ralph had been excited to get something for his mom that would be "from him." Walter hadn't taken into account that there were apparently meanings behind flowers, information which the overzealous clerk at the store had eagerly volunteered to him. Walter didn't comprehend that someone might have a favorite flower, and was at a loss when it was suggested that they at least get something in her favorite color. Once again, he realized that there were many things about Paige that he didn't know. He was just trying to do something nice for her. Something that would make her smile. He would do anything for her. Why was it easier to trade his life for hers in a hostage situation, but nearly impossible to buy her flowers? Once again, it seemed that he was a million miles from normal. Apparently the flowers were over-the-top and Cabe hadn't stopped teasing him since they'd left the shop.

He was already uneasy about tonight. He hadn't been able to sleep the night before and even found it difficult to make conversation or even maintain eye contact with the liaison during the past few days. Although his teammates spent the week leading up to this evening grumbling about the inanity of musical theater when Paige wasn't around, he was looking forward to the night. It was an evening of being able to stare at Paige Dineen without worrying about anyone catching him or teasing him mercilessly as Toby often did when he caught Walter glancing at Paige when they were in the garage. Plus when Happy had returned from grudgingly fixing the equipment for one of the dance numbers, she had made the comment to the group, "I hope you're ready to see a little more of Paige than we're used to seeing. One costume they have her in is tighter than a first gear hairpin." This had prompted Walter to create several fantasies of Paige wearing something revealing, and most of them ended with him removing that something—

"Walter, let's go!" Cabe's voice boomed. Walter looked up and realized the others had already left the garage. He took a breath and moved toward the door. "Oh and Walter?" Cabe said as he patted Walter on the back.

"Yeah?" Walter replied.

Cabe looked in the eye and smiled. "I know I've been teasing you about how much you spent on those flowers, but you know what son? She is worth every penny."


	5. Chapter 5

-Chapter 5-

 _This is my take on a Karen Cartwright (Smash) merges with Paige Dineen! I know I'm not alone in missing Katharine McPhee's singing and dancing! And I just read she may be singing in season 2! I thought it might be interesting to see how Walter would process that side of Paige. Let me know what you think. Disclaimer: I own zip. Scorpion zip and Smash zip._

 _In case you're interested, these three numbers inspired this chapter (See links on my profile page if I manage it, or better yet, you tube them!): Reach For Me, Public Relations, Bound to You. The first and second are not of Katharine McPhee, but I think they both deliver different, but poignant messages from Paige to Walter. I also think Paige would look smokin' hot in both the black leotard and green dress! Thank you to the anonymous reviewer who suggested "Public Relations" be incorporated and various other reviewers who made some great suggestions and guided me through this chapter!_

-Chapter 5-

The theater was dimly lit and set up cabaret style with lots of small tables and chairs surrounding them. The five Scorpions were led to a table near the center of the room and had their drink orders taken. They didn't have to wait long until the lights dimmed even more and the show began.

-ooo-

About thirty minutes later, Paige had yet to grace the stage for what was turning out to be a glorified variety show, and Walter was bored. He could tell Ralph was growing restless as well. Happy and Toby were entertaining themselves by ordering drink after drink and Cabe looked as though was about to nod off. Only Sylvester appeared to be genuinely enjoying himself. He applauded enthusiastically after each number and his foot hadn't stopped tapping nearly the whole night. Walter put his arm around Ralph and started quizzing him on the sum of various angles of the scenery, the velocity of the dancers, size-pitch relationship of the instruments, and the acoustics of the theater, anything he could think of to keep the boy engaged until his mother finally appeared on the stage. They numbly applauded after an act where the dancers used their bodies and everyday objects to create a percussive performance. Walter didn't understand how this was considered music.

The stage was plunged into darkness during a quick set change, and when the lights came back up, there was Paige.

Walter straightened up in his chair, though his arm remained around Ralph. He wanted to absorb every nuance of her performance. She was seated at a piano, with her back angled toward the audience. She was in what appeared to be a somewhat sheer full body black leotard with a voluminous violet skirt ballooning out from the piano bench. Her hair looked darker than usual and was slicked and pulled back in a tight bun. Her make-up was severe. Her eyes looked smoky and her lipstick was dark and thick. This was not the lighthearted Paige he was used to seeing. She looked downright sexy.

There were string players on the stage and two other dancers performing acrobatic poses around and even on the piano. As Paige began to sing, Walter couldn't take his eyes off of her. After the first verse, she rose gracefully from the piano, flanked by the two dancers and walked toward a microphone that had been lowered from above. As she completed the chorus, she placed her hand on the microphone, which to Walter's surprise began to move back up toward the ceiling, carrying Paige with it. Her skirt began to artfully unwind and dropped to the floor. (It took a moment for a very uncomfortable Walter to realize this was intentional.) Now she and the two dancers were suspended, not just above the stage, but above the actual audience, winding themselves in a shiny nylon fabric, giving them an opportunity to move into different gymnastic like poses while she was still singing.

Trying to maintain his composure, Walter leaned over to Ralph and started speculating on the pulley system that must be in use, but Ralph, without ever taking his eyes off of his mother, quickly put a finger to his own lips, and said, "Do you think we can just watch her Walter? Doesn't she look beautiful?" Paige had just maneuvered herself to a completely inverted position, so the cobalt blue nylon fabric was supporting her from the hips, with her legs wrapped around it for extra leverage, while she hung upside down over the audience, her arms crossed over her chest. She was almost directly over their table, though about 10 feet above it, and it seemed she was looking directly at him. "Yeah buddy," he managed to croak out. "She sure does."

Walter barely blinked as she elegantly moved herself into a horizontal position, and lounged in the fabric that nearly transformed into a tight hammock cocooning her body. She kept her eyes on him as she looked down and sang from above:

 _I can tell you're unprepared_

 _For what will happen next._

 _Nothing now could change my mind_

 _Or make me want you less._

He was in awe. She was singing to him, he would swear it. He had considered her graceful before, but the beauty and poise she demonstrated with every movement, turned her into something ethereal to him. She reminded him of a siren, drawing him in with every note, every gesture. He almost couldn't breathe.

When the song came to an end and she and the other aerialists were lowered onto the stage, the applause in the theater was deafening. His teammates joined the crowd in giving them a standing ovation, and as Walter looked around, he felt foolish. Everyone in the room had been under her spell as well. It wasn't because he felt any attraction to her, or hoped that she did to him, she was just that talented.

"Man, that was badass," said Happy in between claps. Never one to be free with compliments, Walter immediately knew she was genuinely impressed.

Sylvester leaned down and looked at Ralph. "Did you know your mom could do all that?" Ralph grinned and shook his head. "She was really good, wasn't she Walter?" Walter could only nod in agreement. Toby pulled a cherry from the glass of his Manhattan and flung it at Walter's head, managing to hit his shoulder instead. "What was that for?" questioned Walter irritably.

"Dude, she practically serenaded you and all you can do is nod your head?! Walt, she serenaded you while dancing in a very form-fitting leotard (and what a form it was fitted to)," he added as an aside, (Happy slugged him) "all while she was suspended ten feet in the air, and you can't even come up with a compliment?"

"N-no!" Walter stammered. "She was amazing! I'm agreeing with all of you! I just, can't adequately express how astonishing that was!" He was feeling out of his depth again and cursed his inability to communicate his awe and admiration. Who was he kidding? The whole theater was enamored by her. He would never stand a chance.

-ooooo-

As the night wore on, Paige's appearances on stage became more frequent. She was playing the role of Marilyn Monroe in one scene, deboarding a plane, singing and dancing, surrounded by men playing 1950's reporters all vying for her attention as she was singing about "Public Relations." He thought the scene was a little frivolous, and was thoroughly uncomfortable with the amount of manhandling that was being done to her by the male actors as she was tossed from various platforms to luggage trolleys, but when he actually tuned into what she was singing:

 _(Reporter) What do you sleep in?_

 _(Marilyn) Well, I adore, Chanel No. 5 and not much more_

 _(Reporter) Any advice for a girl in the city?_

 _(Marilyn) If you're two-faced, at least make one of them pretty_

 _(Reporter) The studio says, "Lateness is your favorite crime"_

 _(Marilyn) True, I've been on a calendar, but never on time!_

 _(Reporter) When you posed nude, your inhibitions were gone?_

 _(Marilyn) Well, that's not quite true, I kept the radio on!_

he found the scene much more intriguing. He was grateful that Ralph was hopefully too young to pick up on the innuendos, and rolled his eyes at Toby when he kept kicking him under the table and waggling his eyebrows. The crowd loved her and even Cabe appeared to be on the edge of his seat.

-ooooooo-

Her final moment on the stage was a more serious one. There were no props, no dancers; she was alone on a nearly black stage. Only soft, muted lights illuminated her figure, making her features this time appear vulnerable and delicate. This was the Paige he dreamt of; hair swept up, falling in loose tendrils around her heart shaped face. Her skin actually glistened softly, though she wore hardly any make-up save for shiny pink lip-gloss, and slightly blushed cheeks. A large white flower adorned her hair, and her dress was a breath-taking floor length, emerald satin, fitted gown that fell well off her shoulders and in Walter's opinion far too low around her breasts. Not that he minded the view at all. He just didn't like everyone else being granted visual access to her body.

While Walter had been impressed with her previous moments on stage, this moment was nearly surreal for him. Not only did she look like a goddess, she sang so soulfully that this time it literally took his breath away. She sang most of the song with her eyes closed, as if she was picturing pouring her soul onto the object of her affection with an equal mix of passion and tenderness. Never had Walter been so moved by music. It was quite possible that he'd never been so moved by anything. Here again, was an example of Paige bringing him out of his comfort zone. He was becoming used to the euphoric sensations he experienced when she brushed up against him or when he tried to dream of her as he drifted off to sleep at night. He was growing accustomed to having someone in his life with whom he could have an interesting conversation that didn't revolve around science and math. He had accepted that every time he now smelled lavender or cinnamon, he immediately thought of Paige (not that she was ever far from his thoughts). But watching her and listening to her exquisite exhilarations ripple over the audience, Walter almost felt like he was having an otherworldly experience (something he did not believe in). Beauty could not be this raw, this flawless, and this tangible. He gripped the seat of his chair as he felt as if his whole world was becoming undone. For a man who only dealt in non-fiction, he had the overwhelming sense that the woman on stage was simply too good to be true. He wanted her, pure and simple. He needed her.

 _Sweet love, sweet love_

 _Trapped in your love_

 _I've opened up, I'm sure I can trust_

 _My heart and I were buried in dust_

 _Free me, free us_

 _You're all I need when I'm holding you tight_

 _If you walk away I will suffer tonight._

 _I found a man I can trust_

 _And boy, I believe in us_

 _I am terrified to love for the first time_

 _Can you see that I'm bound in chains_

 _I've finally found my way_

 _I am bound to you. I am bound to you._

Once again, Walter wanted to believe the words were meant for him. Maybe after the show to night, he would confess his, dare he admit, _feelings,_ for her and maybe, just maybe, she would declare that she felt the same way. Maybe there was a chance that she saw something in him. Maybe she could see his reflection when he saw the world light up through her. Maybe-

-And once again, the animated applause that swept through the theater when the number was regretfully finished made his logic and reason all come rushing back and collapse on him like a heavy weight. Hell, he'd just started to wax _poetic._ What was she doing to him?! This was a façade. This wasn't real. The whole audience just fell in love with her. How would a guy like him, ever, ever be worthy of this beautiful creature?

 _Thank you for all of your reviews! I have read every one of them and appreciate your feedback on my first fan fic. I think 2 more chapters are in store...one after the performance with the gang, and then one between Walter and Paige, AFTER the performance if you know what I mean!_


	6. Chapter 6

-Chapter 6-

 _This is my take on a Karen Cartwright (Smash) merges with Paige Dineen! I know I'm not alone in missing Katharine McPhee's singing and dancing! And I just read she may be singing in season 2! I thought it might be interesting to see how Walter would process that side of Paige. Let me know what you think. Disclaimer: I own zip._

 _Right now I'm thinking of just one more chapter after this….and I'm thinking chapter 7 might take us into an M rating if that's ok. For now, please enjoy the "after the performance moment." Thank you for all of your feedback! I appreciate it!_

-Chapter 6-

As the crowd milled out of the theater, Walter waited with Cabe, Sylvester, Toby, Happy and Ralph at their table, as had Paige had instructed them to do. Ralph had his arms around the heaping bouquet again, clearly anxious to present them to his mother, but he was fading fast. The performance had run well past his bedtime.

As the teammates commented on various aspects of the performance, Cabe pulled Walter into a private conversation. "Have you thought about what you're going to say to her about the show tonight?" Cabe asked, placing his hand on Walter's shoulder.

Walter shook his head, "Anything I say will not do her justice. She doesn't need any validation from me. The entire audience clearly loved her performance."

Cabe gripped his shoulder more tightly and leaned in. "Now listen to me, son. I may not be the best person to solicit advice from when it comes to women, but what I can tell you, is that a little compliment goes a long way. I know you have a hard time with this stuff, but I'm going to try to think about what Paige might tell you to do in this situation." Cabe dropped his arm from Walter's shoulder and placed his hands in his pockets as he thought for a moment.

"I think she'd tell you to pick one moment that you found extraordinary, and start there. Focus on something specific and the rest should follow. I could have sworn she was singing her heart out _to you_ tonight, kid. And if you didn't hear that, you need to get your ears checked. This night is a big deal for her. It could be a big moment for you too I think. Don't blow it."

As Walter puzzled over the advice he'd just been given, Paige appeared from a side entrance in her stunning green dress. It had been one thing to see her on the stage, emotionally and physically out of reach, but to see her approaching their table looking like a movie star made Walter weak in the knees.

Sylvester was the first to approach her, embracing her in a bear hug that lifted Paige off the ground. He released her and began to applaud all over again, and the rest of the team followed suit.

Paige blushed. She was so happy they were here, and they were smiling at her! If they'd hated it, they were doing a stellar job of hiding it from her, making her wonder if perhaps, just perhaps, they'd enjoyed an evening of music and dance. They were supporting her the same way a family would and at that moment, Paige quickly counted her blessings. She started to thank them all for being there, but was quickly interrupted by Ralph who bombarded her with an enormous bouquet of quite a variety of flowers. She knew in an instant that he must have picked them out himself, and she quickly knelt down next to him and hugged him with all her might. The fact that he didn't resist or squirm out of her arms tugged at her heart and made her tear up a bit. "Ralph these are so beautiful!" she finally managed as she released him. "I can't believe you got me flowers. Thank you so much!" Ralph grinned from ear to ear and said, "You looked really pretty on stage tonight, mom. I didn't have a decibel meter to measure the applause you got, but I'm 99.7% sure your songs got the loudest audience response." He quietly added, "I'm so proud of you."

That unleashed the floodgates for Paige, who pulled him back into a close embrace. This time Ralph sank into her arms with the weight of a child who was ready for bed. She pulled back, wiped her tears and said, "I guess it's time to get you home, kiddo."

"We can take care of that, Diva Dineen," said Toby smoothly, holding out his hand to help her to her feet. As she rose, Toby bowed, "I am humbled by your presence. Genius can lie in many forms and tonight, you outshone us all."

Paige found herself in another hug. "Thank you, Toby." She squeezed him. "That's so sweet of you to say." As she pulled out of his hug, Happy was right there. Not much for physical contact, she settled for offering Paige a fist pump, which the liaison quickly reciprocated. "I said it to these guys earlier tonight - that was badass, Paige." She pointed a finger at Paige. "No one earns that term easily from me. Next time we need to climb up or swing over a building, you are coming with me!" Paige laughed and murmured another thank you to her.

Cabe was next, along with another hug. "I couldn't be prouder of you if you were my own daughter," he choked. Paige was overwhelmed and tears started to flow again. "Paige, you are such a rare gift to our team in so many ways." He kissed her cheek. "I get the feeling I still don't know the half of it, but woohoo, do you have some pipes, my dear!" He chuckled and pulled away, trying to end on a light moment. "Cabe, thank you, I don't know what to say," she sniffled, so touched at the warmth they were all displaying. She knew this behavior didn't come easily to them.

"Oh, and one more thing," Cabe pulled her close so he could whisper in her ear. "I don't know what Mr. 197 is going to say to you, but I know him well enough to be afraid he might botch it, so let me tell you this, kid: He didn't take his eyes off of you for a moment. I even caught him literally gripping the edge of his seat at one point. Now that's the truth. Don't forget it, ok?"

"I promise," whispered Paige, smiling, as she patted his cheek. Cabe then stepped aside, so only Walter was left in Paige's impromptu receiving line.

Walter had witnessed his friends complimenting Paige with charm and ease he envied. Sure, Toby always knew how to say the right thing to the ladies (when he chose to), and Sylvester was always able to express himself in his own way that made him likeable to everyone, although sometimes a victim in the wrong setting, since he was a bit of a sap. But tonight, Sly had expressed himself perfectly. So had Happy in her own way, and Cabe, well, Walter hadn't been privy to the whispered sentiments between them, but based on Paige's smiling expression, Cabe had also managed the perfect response.

Paige stood in front of Walter, wiping away happy tears, quietly smiling, and thanked him for coming to the show tonight. "Did you like it?" she asked shyly peeking up at him.

"Paige, you…." Walter started, but was at a loss. He looked down for a moment. Something small…Cabe said to find one moment and comment on it. Walter was at a loss. There were so many moments…he didn't pride himself on flowery overtures and was scrambling for the right thing to say. He knew he was putting too much pressure on this singular moment, but he believed this instant was monumental. He had to let her know just how amazing she was. He resorted to science. He resorted to facts. He resorted to one simple truth. He looked up into her eyes. "Paige, you…took my breath away."

She looked at him for the briefest of moments with an astonished expression on her face before they were interrupted by "PAIGE!" Her name resonated through the house as her cast mates bombarded her and lifted her into the air.

"Come on, honey! It's time for the after party!" Paige was surrounded by actors and actresses, many still in costume, who were literally dragging her away from her Scorpion family. She was trying to protest, reminding them of her son, who had given up and was admirably sleeping soundly in a chair.

"Go on and have fun!" Cabe bellowed. "One of us will get him back to your apartment and wait for you there!"

"Umm…thank you!" Paige cried, over the shoulder of a male dancer that Walter had already decided he was none too fond of after her second number. She found Walter's eyes again and kept her eyes on him as her entourage carried her out one of the doors.

Cabe faced the team. "Ok, one of you gather up Ralph and I'll drive us back to the garage. Walter, I'll drop you and Ralph back at their apartment." Cabe winked at Walter. "Something tells me you could use a quieter place to talk to Paige tonight."

Walter couldn't agree more. Waiting for Paige in her apartment would also give him time to sort through the multitude of thoughts swimming around in his head.

With a horde of considerations already in motion, Walter scooped up a sleeping Ralph and followed Cabe.

 _Well? One chapter left….I like the "slow burn" that so many authors are honoring, but I'm kind of picturing this story well into season 2, maybe 3, when lots of slow but intense moments have been building. Am going to attempt to change the rating to M now, in preparation for chapter 7 in case that's where the characters take us! Please let me know your thoughts and thanks again for reading!_


	7. Chapter 7

-Chapter 7-

 _This is my take on a Karen Cartwright (Smash) merges with Paige Dineen! I know I'm not alone in missing Katharine McPhee's singing and dancing! And I just read she may be singing in season 2! I thought it might be interesting to see how Walter would process that side of Paige. Let me know what you think. Disclaimer: I own zip._

 ** _WARNING: WITH THIS CHAPTER, I HAVE CHANGED THE RATING OF THIS STORY FROM T TO M. I'M SERIOUS. THIS CHAPTER IS PRETTY SAUCY. UNDERAGE READERS, OR NON-SMUT LOVERS, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!_**

-Chapter 7-

Paige climbed the stairs to her condo with her shoes in hand. Cabe had texted her, letting her know that Walter was staying with her son until she returned. She'd only been out for about an hour. As much as she wanted to celebrate with her freshly reunited theater family, she couldn't wait another second to see Walter.

 _"_ _Paige, you…took my breath away."_

She had replayed that brief sentence over and over as her friends had chatted and toasted around her. He'd looked so sincere, so nervous, so lost and resigned when he uttered those six words. It was as if he had been fighting them, or fighting the dare-she-hope _feelings,_ that were behind them, and finally acquiesced to the notion that there was something beyond friendship between the two of them. He could have slapped on his fake smile and said, "good job," or "you were great," or something completely generic, right?

She had scolded herself for believing for one moment that she, Paige Dineen could be breathtaking to anyone. She considered herself a modest person, and always had struggled to accept even simple compliments. Denying the compliment felt like she was looking for attention by disagreeing or being self deprecating, but saying thank you implied that she agreed with the praise and seemed arrogant. _You like my shoes? Thank you. They are amazing and I know I have impeccable taste._ She was nuts, she knew it.

She got to the door and fished her keys out of her bag. She had worried briefly about how they might get into the apartment before she arrived, but she had quickly concluded that between Cabe's badge and Walter's 197 IQ, they would figure it out, and she had pushed it out of her mind.

She entered her small living space to find Walter sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. He sat up as she hung up her keys and put her bag down and walked over to him, noting that he had found a vase for the sizeable bouquet. She pulled up the hem of her green dress a bit before she sat down next to him.

"Hi," she spoke quietly, feeling shy. Even though she'd obsessed over his comment during the last hour, she hadn't come up with a way to initiate a conversation about it.

"Hi," he said simply, looking at his hands, which were now on his lap.

"Ralph's asleep?" she asked, already sure of the answer.

"Yes. He's been out since we left the theater," Walter replied. He was quiet for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Having an hour to himself to clear his head did not result in any answers. If anything, he just had more questions. "Did you have a good time, with your uh, friends?" he said finally.

"I did. I'm sorry I left so abruptly," she replied. "They're good people, but they can get a little carried away. I would have liked to invite you guys to come with us."

"It's ok. Ralph needed to get to his own bed, and you deserved a night out after all of your hard work tonight." Walter continued to study his hands. He couldn't bear to sneak a glance at her right now. He was afraid of her reaction. He was afraid of his reaction.

"I did want to say goodnight to them. I probably won't see them again for a little while, but," Paige took a breath and continued, "to be honest, I couldn't wait to come back and see you." She bit her lip and waited, and _waited_ for his response. Good Lord, even the stage fright she had experienced earlier in the evening didn't compare to how she was feeling right now. "Walter?" she finally prompted.

"Why did you want to see me?" He sniffed and propped his face in his hand, trying to seem casual.

 _Wow. He's really not making this easy_ she thought, but was determined to be patient and get to the bottom of whatever was between them. She slid closer to him on the couch so she could put her hand on his elbow. He'd removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves to his shirt; Walter's signature look that she thought was adorable.

"Well," she started. "One, I wanted to thank you." No response. "Thank you for coming tonight, thank you for your help with Ralph, as always." No response. She took another deep breath and reminded herself that he wasn't brushing her hand away, so this was a good sign. She continued, "Two - I like spending time with you." Silence. "And three, what you said to me tonight, was…so incredibly sweet." Still nothing. "Walter? Can you talk to me? Did you have a good time tonight? Did you…like the show?" She waited another long moment and then sighed, removing her hand and standing. "You must be exhausted. Let me give you a ride back to the garage."

Walter ran his hands through his hair. _Speak you idiot! Tell her!_ She had taken a few steps toward the hook by the door where her keys hung. He stood and finally found his voice. "No."

Paige turned to look at him, though his head was still deliberately angled away from hers. "Walter, you won't even look at me right now. I'm sorry if you're put out because I stayed out too late, or if I said something to make you uncomfortable, but I've had a long day too, and I don't -"

"I don't want to go right now," he choked out. She was by his side in a second. This time, she put her hands on his cheeks and gently moved his head toward her. He had his eyes cast down, though he quickly realized her ample cleavage was directly in his line of vision, so he shut them instead.

"Walter, look at me," she implored. He was breathing fast. She rubbed her thumbs across his cheeks and cooed, "Hey, it's ok. Just look at me."

Walter finally got the courage to open his eyes and found her doe-eyes gazing up at him. Looking at her was his undoing. She was close enough for him to put his arms around her. Close enough to kiss. But there was so much at stake. For him. For her. For the team. For Ralph. "Paige, I…" he started then stopped.

He tried again. "I'm afraid." He looked away and took a small step back, trying to take deep, sobering breaths to bring him out of his panic/Paige euphoria. At some point he needed to analyze how two contrasting sensations could feel oddly the same. He pinched his fingers between his eyes and squeezed them shut for a few seconds and then looked away again. "I have been called fearless and reckless when it comes to our job. It makes no logical sense that I should be afraid of what I experience when I am around you, but I am. You are changing me, Paige. You and Ralph. And I've already told you I know it's for the better, but it's uncharted territory for me."

Paige took a step back as he walked past her and started to pace around her tiny living room. She was so happy he was finally opening up and she was determined to remain quiet until he needed reassurance from her.

Walter continued as he paced around her coffee table. "And up until tonight, it was ok. It was something I could keep to myself and try not to think about, or try to break down rationally, or even deny I was…I was…." He stopped moving and shook his head as if he couldn't bear to finish the sentence. He started again, "And then tonight, there you were, on display for LA with your amazing voice and exquisite dancing and your, your….beauty, for everyone to see. And not just see, but desire. It was like I was convincing myself that now everyone got see you as I see you everyday. And I wanted to keep you all to myself."

He was still again with one hand on his hip as the other held his forehead. He was at a breaking point. He couldn't believe he was saying all of this and yet he couldn't stop himself. It was pouring out of him like a bursting dam. "To me, you… are perfect. I don't know, no," he chuckled, "I _do_ know that I'm not the best man for you. I don't know your favorite flower, or believe in celebrating holidays, have you noticed, I haven't even brought up the concept of emotions." He let out a heavy sigh and his shoulders drooped. "Paige, I don't know all the things that make you smile, but I _want_ to know. I…I…"

"I…want you. I think I might _need_ you." He was done elaborating. He was tripping over his own words. He hadn't been eloquent or articulate, but he'd just exposed all of the, yes, _emotions,_ that were pent up nearly since the day he'd met her, for her. Now he needed to wait. He needed to know where she stood now.

Paige moved in front of him and brought her hands up over his ears and through his curls so they landed on either side of his head, where she massaged small circles on his temples with her thumbs again. "Walter, I can tell you're struggling with a lot right now. I know everything you just told me was really hard for you. It's not easy for anyone to put themselves out there like that. I am going to do something now, that will be scary for me too, so remember that please." His breathing slowed. He lowered his hand and found her eyes with his again as her calm voice continued, "But I'm doing this, not just because I want to, not just because I've wanted to for a long time, but because it will help you take an unknown factor out of the equation, ok?" She looked down at his lips and then back up to his deep brown eyes. "Ok?" she asked again. Walter nodded, almost imperceptibly and Paige leaned in and placed a very light kiss on his lips. She pulled the slightest bit away from him to see if he would try to break the moment, but he didn't and so she returned for another soft kiss, holding her lips in place longer this time and tickling her fingernails on his scalp.

Something clicked inside of Walter and he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her close and gently running his tongue against her soft lips. Paige loved the way he was touching her so tenderly, and shivered a little as his calloused fingertips glided along her arms, over her shoulders and behind her neck. She couldn't help but smile as she kissed him. This was happening. This was finally happening.

It didn't take long for their kisses to become passionate. Paige was running her hands over his chest and around to his back. Walter leaned in to her and trailed soft, wet kisses down her neck, across her collarbone and onto the tops of her breasts as they swelled to meet his mouth. "Walter," she whispered, whimpering at the tingling sensation he was creating all over her body. It was a good thing one of his arms was wrapped around her, because she literally started to swoon as his other hand cupped her right breast, and his thumb stroked the satin fabric of her dress. She let her head fall back as she enjoyed his hand and his mouth on a part of her body that hadn't been touched in a very long time.

After a few moments, she found her footing again and pushed him back. Walter looked surprised, and started to stutter an apology, but she cut him off with another hungry open mouth kiss and began to remove his tie and fumbled to unbutton his shirt. "I want you too, Walter O'Brien," she gasped between kisses, "I _need_ you too." She needed to feel more of him. She finished with the buttons and ran her hands over his warm shoulders and removed his shirt. She wanted to feel his flesh against hers. She ran her hands over his bare, toned chest causing him to shudder and moan. He broke away from her lips again so he could look at her. Her cheeks were flushed and her neck and breasts were speckled a delectable shade of pink. Her breath was warm as her mouth hovered in front of his torso and she began to place seductive kisses on his flesh. She let her right hand trail down his abdomen, toward his navel, and he inhaled sharply as it continued down past the button of his pants and gently grazed his arousal over the fabric of his pants. He quickly found the zipper on the back of her dress and slowly pulled it down. She lowered her arms, so the satiny fabric could cascade down her body, leaving her clad in a strapless lacy green bra and matching panties. Always a little modest, her first instinct was to start to cover herself, though she very much wanted to continue what they had started.

"Hey," Walter said, pulling her close and tilting her chin up so she was looking at him. "We can take this slow if you want to. I…I just thought-"

"You thought right," she grinned up at him. "I just….it's been a long time since I've done this and I'm feeling a little self-conscious." Walter cupped her face and kissed her tenderly. "You have nothing to be self-conscious about," he said in a low breathy voice. "You are so beautiful, Paige." She melted a little bit more and moved somehow even closer to him. She nuzzled his chest. "Can we um….move this into the bedroom?" she asked timidly. Walter leaned down and placed one arm behind her knees and smoothly lifted her into his arms. He deftly navigated the narrow hallway as Paige directed him to her bedroom and he sat her on the foot of her bed. He then moved to close the curtains to the windows as she stood and moved to her mirrored dresser where she always had scented candles set up. She lit three and felt him come up behind her, placing his arms around her waist and kissing the top of her head. She looked at their reflection in the mirror and smiled at what she saw. She was standing, nearly naked, in the arms of a shirtless Walter O'Brien, who was literally the man of her dreams. Their eyes met in the mirror and he smiled at her too.

Paige turned around to face him. "I…this may sound stupid because I think you know that no one has been in my bed since…well, for over 8 years now." She looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Oh my God, 8 years, I don't think I've said that out loud before. Still, I don't want you to think that I'm the kind of girl who just jumps into something like this." She looked at him again, "I…I care about you Walter, and I guess I just need to know if there's going to be something beyond tonight. If tonight is just about sex, then that's fine and we can go back to being co-workers, or friends, or whatever we were, or are, but I just need to prepare myself for that if that's the case." When Walter didn't say anything, she looked down. "I'm sorry if this is kind of ruining the moment, I just-"

"You're not ruining anything," Walter interrupted. He moved his hands so they were now gripping the edge of her dresser. Paige sat down on the side of her bed, ready to listen to him, but still feeling awfully vulnerable given her state of undress. She pulled the end of her comforter up to cover herself, bracing herself for whatever he had to say.

Walter looked at the floor and cleared his throat. "I told you earlier tonight that I want you. I should have said, 'I want us.' I am out of my element here, Paige. I don't even know if my experience with women would really constitute 'relationships.' They were something I engaged in because I was trying to fit into a social norm, and I endeavored to find compatible partners. And when we," he cleared his throat again, "went to bed, I only did so to fulfill an…an anatomical craving." His eyes were darting back and forth on the patterned throw rug in her room. "My past track record with women statistically ensures that I will be bad at this. Well," he quickly corrected himself and gestured to the bed, "hopefully not _this_ , but honestly, I don't know what I'm doing. This is new territory for me and I don't want to mess this up because, yes, I want something 'beyond tonight.' I just…I think…I know I will need your help." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I guess that doesn't sound very romantic, does it?"

Paige let the comforter fall away from her body. If Walter was allowing himself to be so vulnerable to her right now, she could do the same for him. He looked down at her, his smoldering gaze covering every inch of her body. She patted the bed beside her. "Walter, come here." He complied, sitting next to her. She kissed him softly on the lips. "Your honesty is the most romantic thing about you in this moment." She kissed him again and let her hand drift onto his thigh. "We'll figure us out together, ok?" Walter opened his mouth and slowly slid his tongue against hers. This moment was much more tender than the ones they created in the living room earlier. "Ok," he said after the tender kiss.

Paige moved onto his lap, her legs straddling his hips as she continued to kiss him. He reached around and unclasped her bra. As it fell to her lap, she unbuttoned his pants and pulled down the zipper. Her hips lightly grinded against him and he emitted a low moan. He put one of his hands on her behind and the other on her back as he moved her into a laying position on the bed, making sure her head landed on a pillow. He then stood and removed his pants and socks, before returning to the bed, lowering his body slowly over hers. She reveled in the heat of his skin against her.

"This is what I've been dreaming about," murmured Paige between kisses. "Your bare chest on my naked breasts, being this close to you." As Walter fondled her breast and his thumb danced over her nipple, she moaned into his mouth. He moved his mouth away from hers so he could continue his attention with his tongue. He licked and gently sucked at her right breast before moving his concentration to her left and repeated the process. The stubble on his chin gently scraped against her skin as his tongue flicked and teased her nipple. "Oh, that feels so good, Walter," Paige moaned. She brought her thighs up to either side of him and started grinding her hips against his. She slipped her hand inside of his boxers and found his hardened length, which she grasped with her hand and began to slowly stroke. "Ah, Paige," Walter gasped, distracted from her breasts momentarily. He trailed kisses down her stomach until his mouth reached the top of her panties. He slid his fingers around the top of the material and softly brushed her skin as he looked up at her. "Is this ok?" he whispered. Paige's glassy eyes met his and she nodded, moving her hand to begin sliding off his shorts in suggestion. Walter complied, removing his shorts first and then slowly, sliding her panties down her legs. When he returned, Paige kept her legs under him for a moment. She shuddered and sighed, "There's nothing between us now." Walter gently kissed her again, his hands still roaming her body. She parted her legs for him and squeezed her thighs against him lightly. "I want you inside of me Walter," she said dreamily in a low voice, looking at him with watery eyes and a small, bashful smile on her face.

-oooo-

Walter laid back next to Paige, still trying to capture his breath. "Well, that's the second time tonight you took my breath away," he said. Paige snuggled up next to his shoulder and grinned. "Oh, Mr. O'Brien. You ain't seen nothin' yet!"

As they laid next to each other, they started talking about everything; the performance, her music background, his schooling, Megan's illness, how he and Cabe met, all the bits and pieces they'd been wanting to share with each other. They laughed and confessed hidden moments – the stolen glances, the "accidental" brush ups, the almost hand holdings, and all the times they had each been dancing around this moment.

 _Complete._

 _Thank you for reading and responding! This is the first time I've put my writing out there and I appreciate everyone's kindness and support. We still have almost two months to fill the lonely nights until Scorpion returns, so let's keep those stories coming! Happy writing everyone!_


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